Tag: fashion

If anyone read my last post on zaful, I also just updated it with my review of the items I received, so anyone who wants to order from there knows my thoughts! Onto the next post..

Ugh life is hectic! This month besides work, apt hunting, and the blog- I had my cousins bridal shower and her bachelorette party, a wedding, and Halloween. I feel like I need a 3 month vaca somewhere- don’t worry its coming.

So I figured I would write a post on the outfit I wore to my cousins bridal shower, Her shower was up north in this cozy cute looking cabin place and the weather has been bi-polar so I truly had no clue what to wear. I chose an off the shoulder long sleeve dress, with a slight open stomach (in case I couldn’t decide if I was hot or cold LOL). Blush is literally one of my favorite colors and I feel like it’s a very positive happy color so I went with that to fit the theme as well. The fabric is was super amazing and so comfortable. It was heavy material which is good to keep me semi warm in freezing cold restaurants, and the fabric was cotton, ALL 100% cotton and I loved it. It is probably the most comfortable and what I always aim for. I have sensitive skin so any wool, or knitting sometimes makes me itchy. Cotton is very durable, resistant to tearing and high temperatures. It is my go to always: A 100% natural material, cotton is the most common fabric used in clothing ß and I am totally loving all clothes made of cotton. If I could honestly wear a cotton tshirt and leggings or jeans every day to work I totally world. Cotton is by far one of the best products.

Speaking of this busy week, I have a wedding on Sunday and that dress will also be made of all cotton, I feel like it is also stretchy- so I can eat like a pig all night, or drink for however long and not look bloated because of the give that cotton has. I can’t wait to show you guys my dress on Sunday but its such a hectic week so I just wanted to come on here and fill you guys in quickly. After all these weddings and shindigs I am TOTALLY binge watching Halloween shows/movies, (HOCUS POCUS) going pumpkin picking, hayrides, and baking Halloween goodies. Sometimes when you are overwhelmed/overworking the holidays come up so quick and you forget to enjoy the preparation and all the fun before hand, does that happen to you guys? I hate it. I also can’t believe it is already Halloween- I am not even sure what I am doing. So this is a reminder to pause and live in the now: HALLOWEEN! What is everyone being?

Hi babes! So somehow summer is half way through and it seriously scares me that time flies so fast. A couple weeks ago or maybe months, one of my friends reached out to me asking where to get swimsuits? She was an avid Victoria’s Secret buyer, and now that they eliminated their bathing suit section (bad decision in my opinion) numerous people have reached out to me asking WHERE to get bathing suits from. This is seriously a hard solution because I really do not like any basic bathing suits from Macy’s, or the typical department store, but then also shopping online sucks because you cannot try them on. figured I would be the guinea pig and shop trial and error for sizing bathing suits online, see what works and then let you guys know where to shop and how the sizes run. At least this way you guys do not have to waste money not knowing what size to get. This has happened to me a lot during this trial and error and sometimes returning is like $30 shipping! So I just give it to the poor or my little sisters friends who are a size -1 LOL.

This is a quick post but probably the most helpful. I am going to list places that have such unique suits and the sizes to get! Hope this helps and if and when you order hashtag #Beluxe so I can see how they came out! Enjoy Lovies!

1- ZAFUL: Ok so I love this site but their size Small would literally fit an infant. Incase you do not know my size I am a 24 in jeans and XS/S in everything else. I bought a small from here and it could not fit over one leg. Therefore on this site I get MEDIUMS! They also do not let you pick and choose top or bottom sizes..its one size, which I know is difficult because for me- I have NO boobs but a big butt lol, so that is one sucky thing but the prices are ridiculously cheap and they’re pretty unique. SIZE UP!

2- NASTY GAL: So this site went under for a bit, and after I watched the show Girl Boss (watch it!) I wanted to see how this place was doing, it was actually bought my BooHoo which I love so I figured I would order some stuff for Bahamas! They’re stuff is VERY true to size, but be aware the top and bottoms are ordered separately! I recently ordered a top thinking it was both and realized I had no bottoms LOL. So make sure to read and order both! (if you want lol) They are also having a 40% OFF sale!

3- ASOS: I feel like this is an obvious, ASOS is not as cheap as Zaful or Nasty gal but I guess it is still cheaper than VS. ASOS also is true to size I usually get a size 2, because there is nothing I hate more than getting love handles from a bikini squeezing me so hard lol

4- FLY NATION: Ok I found this site a couple years ago and it is by FAR my favorite! Bikinis are literally like $20, the shipping comes in like 2 days (ish) and it is actually really good quality. I am still so mindblown about them but I absolutely love them. I recently got FIVE suits for $82- TOTAL! Yupp thats less than 20/piece. Amazing, go check them out! They also have FREE shipping over $150 and 15% OFF for students! I get a Medium here.

5- MISSGUIDED: Missguided is always having discounts and I feel like they’re style is super on trend! I have a few bikinis from here and they are all extremely thick (meaning good quality and no nipples protruding the bikini when I am cold hehe)

6- ALIXNYC: Ok this place is pricy BUT there are not suits like them on earth. This amazing company recently sent me a suit and I wish I can live in it forever, I cannot WAIT to post it for you guys in bahamas because it is comfortable, good quality, can be worn as a bodysuit or swimsuit, and its my most fashionable and unique piece! I received a size Small – fits perfectly!

7- SABO SKIRT: Yes this company I am an ambassador for and I chose them because of the amazing quality and customer service they have! They’re outfits are obviously perfect and they RECENTLY added swimwear to their collection! SOO many cute pieces! Go check them out!

SUMMER MUST HAVE! DiffEyewear – who doesn’t love these sunnies?! They also give a pair of glasses to a child in need for EVERY pair bought. The amazing-ness of them honestly gives me chills. I love them SO much, get a pair for the summer AND I can get you guys 25% OFF too! Use Code: LAURENBELUXE25

Well there are my lucky #7 swimsuit picks! Hope you guys find what you want and need and I was of some assistance! LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!

Comment below if you have any questions!

Next post: Working and Blogging! (Stay Tuned)

*None of these posts are paid, this is my honest opinion of good bathing suits*

Ah so I know it has been a while again, I do have a full time job so sometimes it is hard to get on here and give my all. I never want to write a blog post and feel like I’m half ass-ing it, I always want to feel like I am writing in my fashion diary to all my favs and give my full potential. ANYWAYS IM HERE! and Happy belated 4th of July! How was everyones holiday? I usually love to go out to bars or down the shore on holiday weekends and this weekend I really realized I am getting old. I did not care to go out out at all. I totally enjoyed laying by my pool, fam bbqs, the BEACH and just hanging with friends. We legit did not go to one bar and I actually enjoyed it. Good to know I am over the scene of being wasted in a 5 hour line just to get into the bar for 2 hours lol..anyone else?

With that being said I did not wear many outfits this weekend because a lot of it consisted of being in a bathing suit, short sweats, or the same denim shorts (levis duh). I also have been looking for a photographer and trying to pick a day a week after work in NY to meet with them to get content for the week (that will be a future blog post and maybe you guys can help me out).

So for holidays I ALWAYS DRESS the colors- maybe because my mama used to dress up me and my sisters for every holiday matching the colors and each other! So needless to say my outfits were red white and/or blue. I will link everything below!

This outfit was for a night out with my cousins who came to stay with us and just come hang in the pool and then get dinner in Freehold Boro, if you have not been you should go, its the cutest little town. So this shirt ( I feel like I say this about a lot) is ONE of my all time favorites and I am kinda annoyed I did not get more pics in it. It is so flattering and was so extremely festive, from Make me Chic! My shorts are make me chic, and more like boyfriend shorts, and the mules are ZARA. This shirt made me feel amazing all night, and thats a great way to feel when you are not wearing any makeup! Am I right ladies?!

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This next outfit was so comfy, my dad yelled at me about it but I told him its in style.. its a crop top! and a bow one at that! The shorts are my go to Levis (they’re having a 20% OFF SALE! + EXTRA 50% on some!), and my weirdly comfy platforms are Zara! The other shoes that are slides in some of these pics are Ego Official! My REALLY perfect necklaces are HELLO Kestan! USE MY CODE: LAURENBELUXE for 10% off!

We spent 4th of July at my cousins with the pool, drinks, food and fireworks- perfect to me! But my sisters and I take LOADS of pics so here are a bunch, as you can tell Vince just goes with it because thats how amazing of a BF he is 😉

Oh and I LOVE SPARKLERS!!

Here are some of my fav pics from this weekend:

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Below are my sisters!

Well I know this was short but as I said it was a very family friendly relaxing weekend!

Blog Posts to come:

BF

Swimsuits

Photogs in NYC/Scheduling

Can’t wait to share with you guys..my next post will be up SUNDAY! Promise!! 🙂

So I still have to write the post on my awesome BF, but for now I am going to post about one of my favorite outfits:

So this denim on denim is one of my favs simply because I am obsessed with this top, and high waisted jeans. Denim on denim can be hard to pull off and to be honest I ALWAYS avoid it because I always think it can clash, look awkward, and just like a mess. This top I LOVED though (from Urban Outfitters) and I really did not want to wear it with anything else. I was headed to dinner and a movie and I felt like jeans were the best bet so I went for it and realized it can work…if you MAKE sure you have two different denim washes when wearing denim on denim. Obviously if you are going to do light and light or dark and dark, it will probably look terrible (no offence) but a light denim with a dark denim actually looks so vintage and I love it! These jeans are from Pac Sun, super high waisted and comfy. They are not stretch jeans though, its a rougher material but that does not make them any less comfy honestly.

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This is not a super long post like usually but it is just a simple key fact when wearing denim on denim wear a light wash with a dark wash, NEVER the same wash.

Sidenote: I actually loved this shirt so much I wore it the next day with black denim shorts to Ice cream & IPlay:

-Sorry these are blurry/ too real of pics lol..they were screenshotted from a video. I was not planning on blogging the shorts, but I just wanted to show that it could look cute with these too..and who doesn’t like REAL authentic pics anyway 🙂

Hi lovies- I am soo mad at myself that I did not post for a month, I am so sorry. Sometimes life gets in the way but as I mentioned before I am definitely going to be more consistent and aware of how important this is to me!

On a great note, my boyfriend, Vince and I headed to the Hamptons! It was my best friends husbands 30th birthday, and his weekend party was in the most relaxing, happy, tranquil place I have been to date. Honestly like I put it above Islands, and Oklahoma with relaxation wise, because it is the ONLY place on the East Coast I know to be so chill, so happy and so insanely perfect. East Coast is very rushed and stressful most of the time, but the Hamptons makes me feel like I am in a totally different world and I truly love it. LIFE GOALS- have a house there.

So leading up to this amazing weekend I must of ordered outfits from like 3 different websites and none of them were making it to me on time, as I stated before whenever I am going away for a vaca or a weekend- I like to get new outfits, not because I have money to blow but because fashion is my life, so I always like expressing myself in new ways that I have not before. Anyway Urban Outfitters, and forever 21 came in clutch with 2 day shipping and Urban was nice enough to waive the express shipping charge for me too… LOVE THEM. Zara was awesome as well..Vince was coming from NJ to pick me up from the city before we went to the Hamptons (because he’s amazing) and due to it being a friday at 1:30pm he hit loads of traffic, so naturally while waiting I went to Zara and found awesome items. So that is where all these clothing pieces that I will link are from.

1- My first outfit that I wore to hotel hop basically LOL is below..I absolutely love this hat from Brixton– I felt like a go go girl and I loved every minute of it, not in a bad way. The shorts are from H&M and they are the comfiest ones I own, Top is from Zara as well as the mules. I think it was my fav outfit of the weekend and NO ONE saw it (meaning friends wise) because I changed by the time we went out..so I’ll be wearing this again 🙂

2- This second outfit is from the night out to celebrate Alex’s Birthday! We went to Southampton Social Club and it was awesome. The DJ was amazing, I do not know who it was but he was awesome- all the songs were throwbacks that you forgot about..ya know what I mean? Like not annoying throwbacks but amazing ones. The vibe was amazing, there was numerous outdoor areas, picnic tables just so perfect. I wore this pant jumpsuit from Forever 21, so comfy- minus it kept falling down because it ran a little big! Shoes are from Fashion Nova- my fav go to heels!

3- This third outfit was by far the BEST outfit to wear to an outdoor party. It was so comfortable, palazzo pants and crop top are from Forever21, pompom sandals are from Chinese Laundry and body chain is from Windsor. I wore this outfit for the backyard party- it was the actual party for Alex and it was a Surprise MEXICAN THEMED. Jenna (his wife/my best friend) did an amazingggggg job! The decorations, the vendors, the cake (see below) was all out of this world. The desert bar even had waffle cones shaped as Tacos- it was amazing and she is awesome, hence why she’s my bestie! Good job jenn!! if you read this, I LOVE YOU! It was an awesome party and my outfit pics are below:

(PS- the photo booth below had all huge colored flowers..JENNA MADE THOSE OUT OF PAPER. Yeah she’s that good!)

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4- This outfit below I wore to walk around Southampton Village, the platforms are from Zara and by far my favorite this year, pants and top are also from zara- just a simple comfy outfit. I normally don’t LOVE jeans but the fray on these made me cave for them and finally wear a pair:

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Ok well those are the outfits! I ALWAYS OVERPACK and have so many I did not wear, but I guess thats just more for potential future shoots! FYI- If anyone knows a good photographer please DM me! Thanks boos!

Hope you enjoyed my last two post, next one on the BF will be up shortly… love you all SO much!

WARNING: It was cold out, and I did not feel like wearing a jacket- period.

…This title was literally my first reaction. When I started end of March I was genuinely confused how people gained thousands and thousands of followers. I still am to be honest, but I didn’t even think I would get past 500 and that to me was pushing it.

Fashion has always been basically my life- I always wanted to go to college for it, but then I wanted to cheer at PSU more..sooo- I did Marketing, which honestly was one of the best decisions because it is such a broad field of study and you need it an ANY AND ALL industries, I am seriously so thankful for my education. Obviously it helps me to know how to market myself better than if I went for some other major.

Yes it was cold and this balloon was a fun prop- if I am annoying, OOPS 🙂 ANYWAY

I LOVE ALL 5K OF YOU! My last post on my 5 main keys on how to gain and keep engagement is 110% what got me here, but also my heart and persistance. I get discouraged every day and I have told everyone this- I will (and most people will) always think they can be so much better or so much further than where they are now, but remember it is further than you were yesterday. As Elon Musk said (and my dad sent me via text this morning lol) “If you’re not progressing, you’re regressing; so keep moving forward” You don’t really think about it but its true. As I stated in other blog posts, this is not about the # aspect, it is more about the followers, the people I have actually interested in my journey; that is what makes me so happy- yes there is over 5,000 of you so it makes me SO happy- but because you are people behind those numbers, if I am just looking at the number then who cares- but I care that you are people! Looking at my post! 5K PEOPLE! People interested in my story, in my journey, my fashion and my life. I have so many new friends!! And how could someone not be happy about that 🙂

I have SO far to go, but saying i came this far in less than two months is definitely a positive.. I sometimes forget how early on it has been but one main thing I definitely want to work on is my engagement- I believe my percentage is good right now, but I would love for it to be better. Working a full time job it is sometimes hard to engage during the day with everyone in the blogger world but I really try to do my best because it is a part of my happy place! Does anyone have any tips for increasing engagement and not just keeping it consistent? I do think it increases on its own based on my past blog post and the more fans you have, but what are some of your tips fellow bloggers that you would suggest to others? Comment below, I would love love love to hear!

YES IT WAS FREEZING OUT

I would love to write my next post on how to balance a full time job and a blog, because I am still trying to figure that out myself lol- what do you guys think? Also if anyone has any tips on that- PLEASE let me know in the comments below, I would love to hear!

OVERALL, I AM SO BEYOND THANKFUL FOR YOU GUYS BELIEVING IN ME, PUSHING ME TO BE A BETTER ME (AND A BETTER FASHIONISTA), AND FOR WANTING TO LISTEN TO MY VOICE. YOU INSPIRE ME EVERYDAY AND I CANNOT WAIT TO BECOME THE BEST I CAN BE FOR YOU! GREAT CONTENT TO COME! THANK THANK YOU FOR 5K! SEE YOU WITH THE BALLOONS AGAIN AT 10K 😉 LOVEEE YOU BABESIES!

Hi beauties! First things first- THANK YOU for all your Congrats on me getting into the LIKEtoKNOW.it program! Seriously this is A DREAM- I am completing the videos and on boarding process and will be linking all my items as soon as TOMORROW. I am seriously so honored and thrilled about this I just feel so lucky. Thank you RewardStyle!

So this weeks blog post- My title is fully committed to how Make Me Chic, has made me so chic! hehe, seriously though this is my new favorite online store, everything is so cheap but SO cute, comfortable and unique! I have ordered so much from here lately, and as promised I am blogging about my top 3 blouses from there! I am going to try to link the exact tops- they sell out SO quick though so if not I will put something similar!

This weekend me, my sister, and my boyfriend went to Princeton NJ; it is a beautiful college/upscale city and with the 90 degree weather we felt like it is a PERFECT place to go. With still testing out photographers and my own pro camera (that went dead mid drive to Princeton) I have realized my sister and my boyfriend and my sister are my 2 best photogs at the moment so why not take advantage and take some pics at the beautiful University (we had to drop off my Boyfriend to study anyway) so me and my sister had ourselves a blast from playing in flower gardens, finding a food truck festival, and snapping photos in a random beautiful mansions backyard (I think it was a frat house- they had a volleyball court, fire pit, and hammock- so I mean obviously we hung out there for over an hour). So naturally we took a million photos in my awesome new MakeMeChic shirts below! Enjoy love bugs!

This top is a deep green which I LOVE and feel like it would honestly look good on anyone. The model on the website wore this shirt with her arm INSIDE the top but it was clearly just for the photo because when I tried it that way – you physically can’t move that arm, its like it is in a cast LOL- but still cute in the pic, but I chose to wear it outside the shirt because I love the one shoulder look regardless. The extra fabric- which is not shown in the pic online can either be knotted and rolled under the shirt or it can be tied into a bow- that is what I did. I also chose to style it with the most comfortable high waisted jeans from H&M and platform sandals (my fav), and my fav Ray Ban sunnies:

This next top is by far my favorite shirt that I have ever gotten from MakeMeChic thus far. I took way too many photos in it, but I will only post a few 😉 We found a flower garden at Princeton and literally could not move from it, because it just made us so happy, but after we chose to walk away we walked straight into a mansions yard- I can only assume it was a Frat house but there was literally NO ONE there (maybe they were all at the truck festival) and this yard had a volleyball court, a hammock and a fire pit. Needless to say we had our fun not only with photos but just relaxing on the hammock enjoying the weather and just admiring these colleges kids houses! (take me back to PSU) At first I styled it with the same sandals as the first, but then realized I really did not like it together and switched to this amazing mules (another fav)

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This is unedited- I like to give some raw photos to you guys too 🙂

Behind the scenes

Fun photos are even better content 😉

This last shirt is another one shoulder shirt and Make Me Chic is so famous for that- and making you look great in it. I wore this for my Celebratory dinner date my boyfriend planned for me getting into LIKEtoKNOW.it, He is the sweetest (sometimes). I styled it with (believe it or not) a pair of leggings, since I knew I would be consuming LOTS of food and these awesome denim heels from EGO official- this is the first time I wore them and I LOVE them, they are a little big but it is do able they’re too cute to deal with the hassle of return and shipping back and waiting another 2 weeks to wear them. I also saw them on Lauren Bushnell and had to have them (love her style)

Hi my faves! I try to be consistent and have a set name to say hi ‘…’ in each blog post with, but I am just really random and figure a different name each time is more fun; examples to come: cuties, babes, bugs, and any other random word that makes me happy in the introducing phase!

FIRST OFF THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO REACHED OUT (ABOVE IS MY FACE OF HAPPINESS) TO ME REGARDING MY LAST BLOG POST! I do not think I am nearly good enough for all of your love! Hence I am discouraged on the daily, but you all made me SO happy and confident (a main KEY)! I received all kinds of positive DMs from people telling me I made their day, to sharing how my blog post inspired them to be positive and not be afraid to start their own online journey. I even received some extra kind words about my bubbly personality! I am so overwhelmed with all the positive feedback – so AMAZING! if I made ONE person happy from m previous post- then my goal was accomplished. To know I made SO many people happy that they felt the need to tell me- I SERIOUSLY LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT EVERYONE WHO MESSAGED ME. YOU MAKE ME WANT TO SUCCEED SO MUCH MORE! I may sound over dramatic because I am not someone with hundreds of thousands of followers, but I do not care if I had 5 followers, and 3 reached out to me- I did this to inspire, and all of you who let me know that I did that for you- I love you. Truly.

ANYWAY… BACK TO WHAT THIS POST IS ABOUT– GREAT NEWS! I HAD MY FIRST Q & A about two weeks ago, and it was live on their site about a week ago. I mentioned it on my Instagram, but I never really wrote a blog post on how I felt about it! I have been told that blog post should be about your outfits, how you put it together, or just how it came about but sometimes I just want to write about how I feel with the great things that come along during this blog journey. As I stated from the beginning this is my diary about fashion, LIFE, me and whatever else, so for anyone who enjoys it thank you, for anyone who says I am doing it wrong- well it’s kinda hard to tell someone they are being themselves wrong? So BE YOU BABES!

EEEEKKK Fashion Ambitions! As soon as I saw the email I was excited already! I like the name of the website and that alone pulls me in. They asked if they can do a Q & A on me and I seriously felt like my dream came true- a fashion website really wanted to know more about me?!! HOW AND WHY?! To more seasoned fashion bloggers, this might seem like a small milestone but time, this is huge! My first Q&A, and so soon after my launch! Things like this remind me of how happy I am, that despite my fears, I started Lauren Be Luxe! I finally put procrastination and doubt aside and shared my passion into something that is making me (and some of you out there!) so happy! I might (read: probably) screw up A LOT along the way but its so fine because I am doing this solely for my happiness and whoever else wants to be as happy as me 😉

I cannot say enough wonderful things about Fashion Ambitions! They (esp. the founder, Romana!) were the best people to work with for my first site feature. They were kind, easy to get along with, and made the whole experience stress free (which made me feel so calm and focused!). The kinds of questions they asked are the kind of questions you practice in the mirror when you daydream about winning an award or something (or is that just me?) “What made you want to start this?” “What are your goals this year?” “Your style?” and so on. To me this was being able to let anyone who wanted to read this article, get to know the real me a little bit better. Any way that I can connect with people from all over the world and share our love for fashion, life, and all that comes with it, I try to do daily.

As I mentioned I do not have loads of followers (Yet!) and that’s fine, I started a month ago and maybe one day I will but regardless of the number, I will always be doing this for the same reasons: Inspire, connect, and my happiness.

I am posting the Q & A below and you can also head to their site for all the pics they included in it and other fashionable features they have- it is AWESOME and I am so thankful!

“For those who have a shopping problem and can shamelessly admit it, Lauren Bruno of Lauren BeLuxe is a fashion blogger you’ll want to follow.

Lauren is a Penn State grad who resides in New Jersey and works in NYC.

Check out her why she started blogging and what influences her style:

WHY DID YOU START BLOGGING? AND WHAT CURRENTLY DRIVES YOU TO KEEP UP WITH IT?

My shopping addiction led me to blog..ha just kidding- kinda..

I started blogging because I wanted to create an area that I could connect with people on the same love of fashion (and shopping) as me.

I am constantly asked where I buy my clothing, so I figured why not share with everyone. I wanted to start this blog for years but I was so afraid of judgement, finally this year I told myself it is now or never.

I LOVE shopping online way more at the moment, it’s extremely convenient when you have no time (which could be good and bad).

WHAT BEAUTY PRODUCTS DO YOU LIVE BY?

Currently I am trying to test out all new products, to see what suits me best.

Recently I collaborated with Splurge Skincare– her products are all handmade with natural ingredients so I would definitely recommend that.

Makeup wise, IT cosmetics is a new fav- amazing!

WHAT BLOGGERS DO YOU FOLLOW AND WHY?

I love supporting others so I feel like I follow everyone, too many to even name.

My favorite bloggers are Something Navy and Negin Mirsalehi. I feel like they are both so real and genuine, they make you feel like you can do it, to be honest after watching Negin’s vlogs- I was more motivated to start this, and did. So thank you, Negin!

They are just amazing bloggers who are kind and just inviting you into their everyday life, and that’s exactly how I hope to be one day.

DO YOU BLOG FULL TIME?

No, I only started one month ago!

I work in marketing in NYC and love it, so I will blog after work and on weekends! I post on the blog 2-3x a week, and on Instagram daily.

WHO TAKES YOUR PHOTOS?

A few people at the moment, which I am so thankful for all of the support!

I have been meeting with photographers and such to see how our schedules can work together, and I am close to choosing a photographer, but I just started this past month, so this is all new to me.

Currently my boyfriend and my sisters take majority of them, but whatever friend I am with at the moment and maybe even my parents will as well J

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART ABOUT BLOGGING? AND WHAT’S THE WORST PART ABOUT IT?

My favorite part is I feel like I am finally doing what I have wanted to forever. I feel like I am writing in a diary but about clothes, life, and travel – it’s my happy place.

Being able to connect with people all over the world, and have them become a part of your life is amazing!

The amount of support and encouragement the blogger world gives you is unreal- I have met so many amazing people, made new friends, and feel like I am part of a community to just empower all women & men bloggers!

The worst part is working 24/7 and getting discouraged, but I would never change it- It just pushes me to keep going, work harder, and become better.

Getting stressed about trying to figure out how to keep everyone interested and what they may want to see might be difficult also, but it just motivates me to find more inspiration.

Honestly this has been amazing so far, but be sure to never compare yourself to others, stay true to your brand!

WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT YOUR BLOG?

I love that I am just being honest. I did this all on my own, from scratch and I continue too.

It is rewarding and a very proud moment- I taught myself a lot and I love learning new things about web design or editing and so much more every day.

I already want to re-vamp my site because I just want to continuously grow and become better.

A lot of people told me make sure you do this or that and I am just wanting to be me right now, I don’t have a specific niche but I know eventually I will get there.

My blog brings you items that people may pay thousands of dollars for the designer product, but for people who can’t afford it, I make sure to help find and direct them to the perfect duplicate.

I always try to promote sales so my fans don’t look at my page and say ‘well no need to follow her nothing is affordable, or she doesn’t give any options.’

My main goal of my blog is to help other people find exactly what they are looking for, and just inspire.

WHAT PIECE OF ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO ANYONE STARTING THEIR OWN BLOG?

Do NOT be afraid!

Stay consistent and please do not give up.

It is A LOT of work, if and when you get discouraged, do not forget that you did this because you love it and it makes you happy! It’s what I tell myself, and my family and boyfriend remind me of every day.

It takes time. Dreams do not complete themselves overnight.

That is my main piece of advice- not only for a blog but for anything, if you want to do something than do it. Who cares if someone is going to judge you, or be negative or bring you down, If you are one step closer to living your dream than continue to do it.

You have one life, do not be afraid, do not procrastinate to start whatever makes you happy- I PROMISE it will be worth it, so go for it!

HAVE ANY FASHION BLOG GOALS FOR 2017?

YES! So many, grow, make connections and bring better and more content, but my main goal is to attend the next NYFW in September ”

I took a little extra time with this post because it means so much to me that people message me so often for advice, tips and their questions wanting to know how to get started and what I have done thus far! Like me?! Really? Thank you!

As I have stated numerous times, I started this page about a month ago (my Instagram I started a week earlier, to build anticipation) and I have gotten the most amazing feedback. Of course some days or maybe even everyday, you will get discouraged (or at least I do) but building yourself up and telling yourself that you are closer than you were a week ago, will truly help your confidence. In this post I am going to discuss with you the 5 Main things I did/took into consideration when posting on Instagram and trying to gain a following. In my opinion, I remember to not really focus on the number (although it may be hard and high numbers always will build you up) but focus more on the people, who your engaging, keeping them engaged and building yourself more and more each day.

FYI: I am VERY new to this, so none of my tips are facts, they are simply MY advice and what I DID. NOT FACTS 🙂

Read below for what I did/do:

1- TAKE ADVICE & BE FEARLESS. No one is too good for anyone (if that makes sense) Always be you, but take advice that people who came before you give. Before I started I was so embarrassed to talk to people for advice, or did not want to bother them, or was just shy, or felt dumb asking questions- but I did it anyway because asking is always better than wondering. so BE FEARLESS..I asked friends who had experience with this, and I connected with people through others who were kind enough to have a phone call with me to give me tips on how to start, and what they did. The amount of people I spoke to and the questions I asked in my opinion were extreme- but this is something that I knew was going to be like my baby and I wanted to do it right from the beginning. Once I realized that this blogging world is not judgmental or negative (if people are- cut them out of your life, no one needs that) it is inspiring and empowering, I wanted to become a part of it even more. I remember when I first posted a picture on my fashion Instagram, I was counting down the days until my blog was live- I was anxious, excited, and just wanted to be a part of this world. These girls were here to help me grow and watch me rise, not hope for me to fall- and that was motivating; So take advice, because you will need it and when you get it you can take bits and pieces from all the advice you received and use it in your own way to truly be YOU.

2- GIVEAWAYS. OMG Giveaways are amazing, and if you do not do them or never have I suggest you do ASAP. I was recommended to someone through a blogger friend and mt giveaways have been one of my favorite aspects about this (not kidding). It is SO amazing to see people comment about why they need the money, or why they want a camera so bad and to know that you chipped in to help that become possible, is why I love giveaways. YOU ARE MAKING SOMEONES DAY, and building your following at the same time.

3- Follow everyone. I have SO many people yet to follow and build on, but this is such an important key to your following- if fans follow you, do what you can to follow them all back, at least in the beginning. Also anyone who inspires you, follow them. Just follow anyone who you would even want to follow you back. If you have 3 Million followers obviously you cant, (but then again this post is starting out, so if you have 3M followers when you start out- call me! ha) but following back is part of engagement and so important. If you follow 10 people, maybe 5 will follow you back and then other people will see your name and so on. It is all about getting yourself out there- and just connecting with the world, which is cool because I have so many new friends that I have yet to meet, but I can’t wait to!

4- Like, comment, engage, be a real human & REAL in general. Ok before I started this I hated thinking like these people are not real, which is why I love that certain bloggers now do vlogs- because you see their life, you know they are just like you and that’s inspiration to move you forward. When a blogger NEVER responds to your comments or tries to acknowledge it, it makes you feel like they do not care. That is the WORST thing you can do to someone who is following YOUR journey- this is not their dream, this is yours and they are interested enough to want to be a part of it. NEVER take that for granted. Spend the time, even if it may be a half hour on your lunch break to like comments, comment back and ENGAGE with other bloggers, by commenting and liking their pictures as well. Post often and engage-Good vibes will always come back. A lot of my points are just not thinking you are TOO good for anyone, because you never will be. No one human is better than another regardless if it is your credentials, your followers, your collaborations- whatever it is every person works at their own pace but always engaging with this industry will get you way further than sitting back and not acknowledging anyone. If that was me- I would unfollow someone who I felt like never took the time that I take to comment and motivate them, to motivate me back. Un follow may be harsh- but I would definitely be upset, and you never want to hurt someone who is helping you accomplish your goals. Continue to comment, like, follow, engage, and inspire! BE REAL- Do not feel like you have to hold back being your true self, or saying what you really want to say because of what people may think. Be you, that’s why people followed you to begin with- plus no one likes fake people.

5- Features & Collaborations. So before I started a few people said to me ‘Collab Collab Collab!’ and I was like huh, what, I am confused! But now I totally get it. I did not understand at first, I would continuously say to myself “I just email people and ask if they want to work with me, why would the say yes, no one knows me?” WELL AGAIN BE FEARLESS! And yes they do want to work with you, they will feature you, and you will be known (one day!) See companies look at Instagram now as FREE advertising, it is kinda crazy- when you first start out and have under 10k (at least) you really won’t be getting paid for wearing companies clothes, or promoting their product but doing it helps you get more engagement from their pages and your marketing yourself as well as their brand, so in the beginning especially lots of people will want to work with you. EMAIL EMAIL EMAIL ALL! A bunch of people may not answer, I can show you plenty of people who haven’t, but for everyone who doesn’t there are THOUSANDS of more companies to ask. IF you email 20, 5 might answer- but you have to start out with small companies. If you just started your blog obviously do not try and collaborate with Chanel. Be humble and realistic. Reach out to companies with a little over your following number, collaborate and promote each other! FEATURES ARE ALSO SO HELPFUL- when you first start I am sure companies will reach out asking if they can post your photo- some may charge and some may be free. If people are charging ridiculous amounts then I would not do it, because a week later people will want to feature you for no charge- and who would say no to that 🙂 My first website feature was actually recently on Fashion Ambitions! (Click to read it) It was a Q&A about me, my goals, my passion why I started and so on- it was such a great moment! PEOPLE WILL reach out if you just be YOU, put in the hard work, (I feel like I have 2 full time jobs, but I wouldn’t change anything about either) dedicate yourself and make time to do what makes you happy. This blog seriously makes me feel so full of life, it is the best thing I’ve done. EMAIL EVERYONE WITH CONFIDENCE, if they say no- onto the next, but email email email DM DM DM- COLLAB AND FEATURES!

Oh also quickly- KNOW YOUR TIMES OF ENGAGEMENT! This pic below was on a Saturday at 11pm, and I was fully aware that no one was going to see it or care or acknowledge it because everyone is out or enjoying their weekend and busy- it wound up being my most engaged picture yet (even though the # of likes at the moment are 666 but we wont be afraid of that lol) & I am so appreciative of that, because my BESTIE took this pic- so it made me so happy. But yes the worst times may be the best- PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE! 🙂

PS- I have never promoted a picture, has anyone else..does it help? COMMENT BELOW!

Ok well those are my 5 Key points- I could give you 100 more, and if you want more, just DM me or comment below and I will be glad to chat!

Sidenote: One of my friends who is amazing at Marketing told me to keep track of your ratio: divide your likes by followers, whatever that percent is is your ratio. Most bloggers may be 2-4%, she informed me of this because mine was at 10% (proud moment so let me brag for a minute), but then days it could be like 1% and it has been and will be in the future, BUT YOU KEEP GOING!

ALWAYS remember PEOPLE WILL HATE- maybe even friends (sad but true), true colors always show and it is ok, because all you have to do is continue to invite positive people in your life, the ones who lift you up- anyone who brings you down was never a friend to begin with. The people who say “I am so proud of you!” Keep them in your life, because they will be what keeps you going when you are discouraged, and they are the people who make you want to do better and better. ANYONE who is jealous, nasty, mean, or bringing you down- as hard as it may be, cut them out (of this journey at least) because anyone who wants to see you fall, should not be there to see you succeed. IF YOU ARE HAPPY, anyone who loves you WILL be too! POSITIVE PATTY NEVER NEGATIVE NANCY (thanks for that quote mommy! haha)

I LOVE YOU ALL! Seriously – Now lets continue to grow and kick some booty!!

Check out my most recent Insta Post as well- I have a monster bag in it hehe

So today was by far the nicest day of 2017! It was 70 degrees here in NJ, and for all Catholics, Palm Sunday. My family goes to church every Sunday, so on religious holidays it is even more important to be there. My mom also makes the most amazing Italian meals, so its definitely a food coma kind of night right now. Family traditions are my favorite.

Since it has been SO cold out, I have not been able to wear all the cute spring attired I’ve bought, my wardrobe has consisted of sweaters, leggings, and a lot of layers. Seriously I feel like the last three weeks here has been rain, wind, and freezing cold. It has not felt like spring at all, so mother nature balanced out and gave us semi- summer weather today and supposedly it is supposed to be just as nice this upcoming week. I CANNOT WAIT.

Today I chose to go with a suede dress, and my FAVORITE WEDGES EVER! These wedges are CRAZY popular right now! I want my next pair to be the light pink Chloe ones. For now, these amazing dupes are Steve Madden JAYLEN Wedge! The Chloe wedges run a little over $600, so for people who do not want to invest that in a wedge or may not have that money right now- These Steve Madden wedges are (pretty close to) identical, and under $100! I got mine for 25% OFF, if you go now they are still on sale for under $60! YES UNDER $60! Another great dupe is the Marc Fisher ‘Adalyn’ Espadrille Wedge. These wedges are by far the most comfortable ones I have and I will most likely be wearing them everyday of summer 😉 They match everything and are just so so cute, soft, and overall just extremely worth it in every color!

This dress is from BooHoo (similar)! One of the best sites ever, they are currently having a 20% OFF of EVERYTHING Sale! I got this dress after I saw how cute Kylie Jenner looked in hers (except she prob did not get it from boohoo) I bought this soo long ago and wanted to style it with over the knee boots but I bought too many things in between, that I actually forgot about this adorable get up! Since today was a holiday, awesome weather, and matched my perfect wedges I decided to go for it and have my suede cutie dress make its debut! It is so comfortable, normally after events I cannot wait to get into sweats or pajamas and just lay down- Its now 9:30pm and I am still wearing it- I feel like I am wearing a nightgown to be honest lol